Storm Orlena bears down on the East Coast

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Winter Storm Orlena has been blamed for at least one death in Pennsylvania as it continued to dump snow on the Northeast, with New York City already reporting a foot in Central Park, as forecasters predict the Big Apple may see two feet by the time it blows over.

Officials have been urging millions of Americans in the Northeast to stay home as the storm conditions worsen, causing road and bridge closures.

The storm, which has already barreled across the Midwest, leaving nearly a foot of snow in Chicago, was bearing down on on the Eastern US, hitting Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, along with New York.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Central Park ‘has reported a storm total snowfall of 13.3’.  Snowfall was expected to continue into Tuesday morning with forecasters predicting 20 inches in total. If that much falls in the Big Apple then it would become the city’s eighth biggest snowstorm since records began in 1869.

‘This is expected to be one of the bigger snowfall events for New York City,’ Matthew Wunsch, an NWS forecaster said.  

Pennsylvania authorities said a 67-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease who reportedly wandered away from her home was found dead of hypothermia on an Allentown street Monday morning.  

During a press conference on Monday afternoon, Cuomo said the seriously dangerous storm is ‘only going to get worse’.  

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‘Snow plows cannot keep up with two inches per hour,’ Cuomo said. ‘We’re looking at a long two days here,’ he added, urging New York residents to stay inside. ‘If you are not an essential worker you should not be on the roads during the state of emergency.’ 

In Brooklyn, cars slid and got stuck on a slight hill, and in Manhattan first responders were seen responding to a truck that spiraled out-of-control on the slippery roads before landing on its side.  

In Virginia, four firefighters were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries after their fire truck overturned on snow-covered roads in Henrico County.

Across the Northeast, many coronavirus vaccination sites closed Monday.

The storm disrupted the second phase of Massachusetts’ vaccine rollout as a Boston site that was supposed to open Monday for residents ages 75 and over did not; some other mass vaccination sites were open. 

Boston officials also issued a snow emergency and parking ban in the city. 

Massachusetts is expected to get 12 to 18 inches of heavy, wet snow and wind gusts of up to 55mph along the coast, according to Gov Charlie Baker.

‘We’re used to dealing with snow this time of year, but it’s important for folks to take this one seriously due to the heavy snowfall, the high winds, and the speed with which this snow is going to fall when it starts to come down,’ Baker said at a press conference.

Connecticut Gov Ned Lamont said most vaccinations scheduled in his state for Monday were postponed, but he noted that the vaccine can be kept, refrigerated, for days.

In a school year when many students are already learning from home, in-person classes were canceled in many places.

‘I’d like to think there is still some virtual learning going on, with a little bit of time for sledding along the way,’ Lamont quipped.

New Jersey already had scattered power outages by late morning, affecting about 1,500 homes and businesses, but Gov Phil Murphy warned that high winds were likely to knock out electricity to more people across the state heading into Tuesday.

Murphy on Sunday declared a state of emergency in order to deploy resources. He also closed all state government offices for nonessential personnel and the state’s six mega sites that distribute COVID-19 vaccines. 

‘Heavy snow, coastal flooding, and high winds are expected in many parts of the state. The safety of residents and workers is our utmost priority. Please follow all weather-related guidance and stay off roads in order to allow access for emergency personnel,’ Murphy said in a statement.

According to Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster with the NWS, the heaviest snowfall is likely to be recorded in northeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey.

In Pennsylvania forecasters predict 11 to 15 inches of snow in some areas and winds of up to 35 miles per hour.  

Hundreds of flights and many trains and were canceled, and above-ground New York City subway service stopped at 2pm.

In New York, Gov Cuomo said some roads in the state are now impassable just before Sarah Feinberg, the interim president of the New York City Transit Authority, confirmed that underground subway service ‘will continue to operate’. 

‘Some bus routes may be suspended in the coming hours,’ Feinberg added. 

Officials also announced that 90 per cent of flights have been canceled across New York City and it’s expected that the few remaining flights will also be canceled. 

Orlena is predicted to bring blizzard-like conditions and drop between 18 to 24 inches of snow in New York City from Monday into Tuesday, coupled with wind gusts up to 45 to 55mph. 

New York also shut down its COVID-19 vaccination sites. While local officials were hoping that vaccination sites could reopen on Tuesday, Cuomo said they would not. He said all Monday and Tuesday appointments have been postponed ‘and will be rescheduled’. A total of 1.9 million people in New York have been vaccinated, Cuomo said. 

Earlier on Monday, Cuomo declared a state of emergency for New York City and nine other counties throughout the Hudson Valley and Long Island. 

Specifically, the counties included in the emergency declaration are Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Cuomo also issued an advisory for travelers and commuters – depending upon the severity of the storm, above ground subway service, as well as service on portions of the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North, may be significantly delayed or stopped by this afternoon. 

A number of major roadways including the Long Island Expressway, I-84 and others could face travel bans if snowfall rates reach the expected two to three inch per hour rate.  

New Yorkers are being urged to avoid all unnecessary travel. Those New Yorkers who must travel should do so with extreme caution and try to get to their destination before noon. 

‘This storm is no joke and the main concern right now is that the expected snowfall rate of two inches per hour this afternoon creates an extremely dangerous situation on our roadways,’ Cuomo said in the statement. 

‘When snow is falling that quickly, it makes it very difficult for plows to keep up with it. I want New Yorkers to hear me loud and clear – stay home and off the roads and if you must travel, get where you’re going before noon, and expect to remain home for some time. 

‘We’ve been through this before and we will get through it again,’ he added. 

Wind gusts could reach 50mph or more on Long Island, especially eastern Long Island where 60mph wind gusts could occur, while many places upstate could see up to 40mph wind gusts. 

Blowing and drifting snow will likely cause reduced visibilities and treacherous driving conditions in some places.

Snow has been falling in New York City since Sunday evening when Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency for New Yorkers.  

All non-essential travel was restricted at 6am Monday. 

‘New Yorkers should stay home, keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles and let our plows work to keep us safe. Make no mistake: this storm will bring heavy snowfall and it will make travel dangerous in every neighborhood in our city,’ de Blasio said in a statement.

In-person learning was canceled in school districts across the Northeast on Monday, and many COVID-19 vaccination sites were closed. 

‘It will be rescheduled quickly. We don’t want people out trying to get a vaccination and end up being in harm’s way during this weather,’ De Blasio said on NY1.

De Blasio also said on MSNBC Monday morning that outdoor dining has been suspended, the latest blow to the city’s beleaguered pandemic-hit restaurants. 

Several crashes were reported in New York City, with images showing a truck turned over on its side along 12th Avenue and W 50th St. 

Meanwhile, numerous flights across the US have been canceled. 

According to flightaware.com, 1,640 flights were canceled in the US. The cancellations were mostly from airports in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington – disrupting travel that has already been heavily curtailed by the pandemic. Another 440 flights were also canceled for Tuesday.  

All New Jersey Transit trains and buses were suspended. New York Waterway ferries also were suspended.  

Amtrak canceled all Acela service between Boston and Washington and Pennsylvanian service between New York and Pittsburgh. Amtrak’s Northeast Regional, Keystone Service and Empire Service were operating on limited or modified schedules. 

Temperatures were expected to be in the upper 20s to lower 30s for the New York City metro area. 

Lara Pagano, a meteorologist with the NWS, said the nor’easter developing off the mid-Atlantic coast will be a ‘pretty slow mover’ as it brings heavy snow and strong winds through Tuesday.

‘It’s going to be a prolonged event,’ Pagano said. ‘We have snow that had made its way across much of Pennsylvania and into southern portions of New York and into Connecticut and much of New Jersey.’ 

As of Monday morning, some areas had already gotten 3 to 5 inches of snow, with 6 inches in parts of Pennsylvania, she said. In parts of New Jersey, 7 inches was already reported as of Monday morning.    

Meanwhile, photos showed preparations in Massachusetts ahead of the storm. People were seen buying shovels and other supplies to make sure they are prepared for winter storm Orlena. 

Others were seen stocking up on groceries in anticipation of the storm.  

Snow was expected to start falling in Massachusetts on Monday morning. Forecasters are predicting that up to a foot of snow will fall in the state, significantly impacting the evening commute. 

The storm will reach northern New England later Monday night, meteorologists said.

Winds strong enough to bring down tree branches with gusts ranging from 35 to 50mph are forecast for the storm.

In the storm hundreds of vehicle crashes were reported. Maryland State police responded to more than 70 crashes and to 37 disabled or unattended vehicles. 

Virginia State Police responded to more than 270 vehicle crashes and 240 stuck cars between midnight and 2pm Sunday.  

Orlena started in California last week where it brought more than six feet of snow and heavy rain to the region, before making its way to the Midwest by the weekend.

The storm system blanketed parts of the Midwest with the most snow some places had seen in several years.

Over the weekend, the Chicago O’Hare Airport recorded 9.9 inches of snow. There was about 11 inches of snow at Midway, making it the biggest snowstorm the Chicago area had seen in more than five years. A total of 12.7 inches of snow was reported in parts of Illinois.     

AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno called the cold blast ‘monumental’.    

In Wisconsin, snow depths in some counties near Lake Michigan had reached more than 15 inches, and the snow was still falling.

‘That’s more snow than we’ve seen in a decade,’ Chris Stumpf, meteorologist with the NWS in Sullivan, Wisconsin, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Three to 5 inches of snow arrived in central Ohio by early Sunday, making for some slippery roads. 

Washington, DC, and parts of Virginia had also received some snow, with up to 3 inches in some areas.

Snow and cold in Washington led President Joe Biden to postpone a visit to the State Department that had been planned for Monday. 

A White House official said Sunday night that the visit would be rescheduled for later in the week when the agency’s staff and diplomats could more safely commute to attend.